BrainChip and Quantum Ventura are teaming up to develop new cyber threat detection tools using the power of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), the companies announced.
Quantum, a provider of AI and ML learning research and technologies, will apply BrainChip’s Akida technology within a federally funded program to develop cybersecurity applications for the U.S. Department of Energy under the auspices of the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program.
AI Advances Department of Energy Cybersecurity
The SBIR program is focused on cyber threat detection using neuromorphic computing, which aims to develop an advanced approach to detect and prevent cyberattacks on computer networks and critical infrastructure, according to the companies.
Explaining the impact of the partnership, Srini Vasan, president and CEO of Quantum Ventura, said:
“Neuromorphic computing is an ideal technology for threat detection because of its small size and power, accuracy and, in particular, its ability to learn and adapt, since attackers are constantly changing their tactics. We believe that our solution incorporating BrainChip’s Akida will be a breakthrough for defending against cyber threats and address additional applications as well.”
Rob Telson, vice president of Ecosystems & Partnerships at BrainChip, added:
“This project with the Department of Energy offers an ideal opportunity to demonstrate how Akida opens up new possibilities in cybersecurity, including the ability to run complex AI algorithms at the edge, reducing the dependency on the cloud. We are excited about the progress that Quantum Ventura is making with BrainChip, which is extremely vital to the safety of the nation’s infrastructure.”
How BrainChip Akida Works
The Akida neural processor can find unknown, repeating patterns in vast amounts of noisy data, which is an asset in cyber threat detection, BrainChip stated. Once Akida learns what normal network traffic patterns look like, it can detect malware, attack signatures and other types of malicious activity.
Also, because of Akida’s ability to learn on-device in a secure fashion, without need for cloud retraining, it can quickly learn new attack patterns, enabling it to easily adapt to emerging threats.
BrainChip notes that Akida is an event-based technology that is inherently lower power than conventional neural network accelerators. It provides energy efficiency with high performance for partners to deliver AI solutions previously not possible on battery-operated or fan-less embedded, edge devices.
